Another year down and as my birthday is on Jan. 2 – another year older. And I hope -- another year wiser. If I haven’t gotten wiser each year in the past, I resolve to do so this year in a number of ways.

Last year certainly helped in the process as 2012 was a colossal year for our business. We won two major contracts for the Democratic National Convention. We were fortunate to be able to host one of 12 delegate welcome events. The folks from Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin were amazing.

We also partnered with a national transportation/logistics company on the bid for transportation. We were slated with having to staff 250 people to cover hours that were nearly 24 hours for 7 days. We staffed the airport, the media party, delegate hotels, the convention center, arena, and motor coach staging areas.

We decided to give back to our community and give the people who really needed the jobs the opportunity to work this historic Charlotte event. We partnered with Goodwill, Charlotte Works, and Jacobs Ladder who provided us with the most amazing people. We thought the takeaway from the event would be that we were in the middle of the convention from beginning to end. We were wrong.

The takeaway was that these amazing people that just needed a chance to prove their worth stood out in the heat and pouring rain and worked soaked and wet nearly every day for up to 14 hours. You couldn’t get them to take more than a ½ hour lunch break and they smiled through it all. They represented themselves, The Charlotte Destination Group and the city of Charlotte extremely well!

It was also DuPont’s 20^th Anniversary of sponsoring Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team – the longest currently running driver/owner/sponsor combination in NASCAR. Performance PR Plus is the other partner who has been a part of the winning combination for that long. I am proud to have been part of it for 18 of those years. What can I say; I was still in college Jeff’s rookie year.

And I am still amazed by him. Jeff used to race at my Mom and Stepdad’s track, Winchester Speedway. We are the same age and I think we were 18 when we first met. Yes, he had the mustache and mullet at the time. Although his looks have changed, and his life has changed significantly – he hasn’t. Instead of using his good fortune and fame to feel entitled like many do, instead, he uses it to encourage people to give back to those in need. He still appreciates his fans and says thank you to those who ask for autographs. He still appreciates the job the media does, regardless of their affiliate. He treats his team and those around him with respect. He is a good family man.

 
These amazing people who worked for us for the DNC, and people like Jeff who give back is what is inspiring me this year to be a better and wiser person. Too many people are in jobs or situations that they may not even realize yet do not make them happy. They may not think about getting out there, taking a risk and realizing their full potential. Maybe they have just never donated or volunteered. I don’t want to be that person so this year, I’m going to aim higher. So here’s to your happiest new year ever too. Cheers.

The Capital Hill Experience

            After NASCAR Day at DuPont Headquarters where Jeff Gordon unveiled the “Celebratory Car” paint scheme that will race at Homestead-Miami Speedway to commemorate the 20^th Anniversary of the Jeff Gordon/DuPont partnership, followed by hospitality for DuPont customers at the NASCAR Cup Series race in Dover, I departed my “motorsports world” and drove to Washington D.C. with another purpose.

            When I arrived in D.C. last week, I met eight of my follow Jeff Gordon Children’s

Foundation Promise Circle

members on Capital Hill for Childhood Cancer Action Day. Organized by the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, we spent Monday being educated about the issues and participating in advocacy training.

            Congress is in session and both a House and Senate version of the FDA Reform Bill are on the table. It was our job to both educate and lobby our NC senators and congress men and women to pass legislation for very specific initiatives including the Childhood Cancer Survivor Ship Act and The Creating Hope Act, among others.

            There were organizations, nonprofits and individuals including childhood cancer survivors and parents of both survivors and of those who lost their battle with cancer from every state. Since each contingent only meets with reps from their own state, the 200+ advocates were seated at tables with others from their state.  I would have to verify this fact, but I’m quite sure that North Carolina had the most people as I think only California had more than one table at the training session. Additionally, I’m proud to say that the

Promise Circle

had the most people representing one organization.

            The issues were in full focus by the end of the day on Monday, and with specific appointments set for Tuesday, we were ready to advocate for the cause. We had four appointments, two that overlapped. As part of the Charlotte-area group, I was able to meet with reps from Senator Richard Burr and Rep. Mel Watt’s office and directly with Patrick McHenry. Others in my group also met with Sen. Kay Hagan.

            It’s interesting how the process works because you are actually welcome in the halls of Congress and the reps and staffers are truly interested in hearing what you have to say. With so many issues on the table, to go to D.C. and meet with them directly is to deliver specific information that may not land in front of them otherwise. When the house and senate meet to hammer out the details of the bill, they will have better information about the issues with a sense of where the voting public from their district/state stands on the issues because of our visit.

            This is what lobbying actually is. We often think of lobbying as a negative because we tend to hear only about how big business lobbies the government and gets unfair tax credits and other initiatives that protect its industry when others do not. These big businesses also give large sums of money to support candidates and the political parties. 

            But again, that’s only one part of it. If “advocating/lobbying” is also about lending information that may increase the likelihood of incentives to drug companies to create new treatments for pediatric cancer, or to make it mandatory for them to report drug shortages to the FDA so that patients don’t suddenly find themselves at a lost for treatment with no warning, or to address the very specific needs of ongoing treatment, then we should all know that in the United States of America, it is possible for our voices to be heard through this process.

            And it is possible for nine women from the Jeff Gordon Children’s

Foundation Promise Circle

to make a difference -- and we believe we did.

           On a lighter note, those of us who have worked in NASCAR for a long time have met many famous personalities including athletes, singers, actors and even politicians. That being said, only in D.C. can you walk in front of the Captital Building between appointments and see Warren Buffut just standing on the sidewalk. I think he was getting ready to do an interview, but still...

            So what I'd like to share is this: When people say “write your senator or congressman,” know that it really does make a difference. They work for you and they need to pay close attention to what voters have on their mind. Sadly, only a small percentage of eligible voters actually exercise that right. Your government representatives know that if you wrote a letter, called their office or went to visit them, that you’re probably one of the few who also goes to the polls. That means that a small portion of the population has a great deal of influence and your voice if you let your voice be heard, you can nake a difference.

            Since cancer is the No. 1 cause of death for children under 20, and only one new drug has been developed to treat pediatric cancer in two decades, if we moved the needle at all, then we made a difference. I believe we did.

            And as we (The Charlotte Destination Group) won the bid for both the transportation contract and to host one of the 12 delegate events for the Democratic National Convention – I am more interested than ever to see first hand how the political convention process plays out.

            I am a very proud 19-year resident of Charlotte and an even prouder American!

2012 already a year to remember

So it’s been far too long since my last post and a whole lot has transpired since. I guess that’s why I’ve been too busy to post.

I’ll try to spare too many details but still write about some of what’s been going on. Let’s see… at the end of last year we were busy creating a “DuPont 20 Years” marketing and PR plan as 2012 marks the 20^th year of DuPont partnering with Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team. They are the longest currently running sponsor/driver/owner combination in all of NASCAR. We are proud to say that Performance PR Plus is the fourth partner in the relationship as we have also been there since the beginning!

Our Charlotte Destination Group (CDG) business has really come back strong in 2012. After several years of what is commonly known as “The Enron Effect” along with corporate budgets being slashed since the recession – meetings, conferences and conventions are back on the rise and we’ve been able to partner with several coming to Charlotte including some of the biggest.

But nothing will be bigger in Charlotte this year than the Democratic National Convention. The DNCC announced last week that CDG was one of three companies that partnered, and was awarded, the bid for one of the largest DNC contracts -- transportation. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are so proud to be a part of such a significant event and to represent the Queen City in this manner.

In the mean time, we moved from our offices of 17 years located on the north edge of “uptown” Charlotte to the Federal Reserve Building on

E. Trade St

. What a huge step up this has been as we are now in the heart of the city just blocks from the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Time Warner Arena, The Epicenter and most every other major uptown attraction and the offices of many of our partners. Our employees love it here and I’m really enjoying getting out and walking to all of our meetings throughout the week because I truly love our clean, friendly, vibrant city.

I set up my new office with all my favorite things that I've collected over the years. One is my Jim Hunter bobble-head doll. For those of you who didn’t know him, “Hunter” was my mentor when I interned at NASCAR many moons ago and was an icon in the industry for many more moons than that. I still miss him dearly.

The other is my Jiminy Cricket which hangs above base that reads “Let your conscious be your guide.” How can having hose two items alone not just completely inspire and guide me each day?

Well, with this being a huge year professionally, I don’t expect any big vacations anytime soon. And since my husband has given up on boating, we are looking forward to taking the RV and getting away from it all a little here and there throughout the year.

I recently planted our veggie garden, and although the pollen was doing its best to hinder my progress – I know fresh, organic veggies are going to be plentiful in a few months after the pollen has long subsided.

So here’s to spring. I hope you take the time to enjoy it and don’t let the pollen (yes, that’s a metaphor for all things that irritate or try to keep you from flourishing) succeed at getting the best of you! And I hope all is plentiful for you this year – especially when it comes to the things that matter most.

Just let your conscious be your guide.

KymberlyBrantigan.Com

Check out my new site: http://kymberlybrantigan.com.

What Happened to June?

Now that we're well into July, I'm wondering what happened to June? Maybe traveling to Seattle for the Charlotte Chamber's Annual Inner City Visit had something to do with it.

Not only was I able to visit this incredibly unique city that has a culture like no other, but being that the trip is only open to Charlotte Chamber Board of Advisor level members, I was able meet and network with over 125 business leaders from Charlotte's most successful organizations. Starting with  Mayor Anthony Foxx and several city council members, add CEO's and top management from our private sector industries including banking, construction and development, marketing and consulting, plus Deans from Colleges and Universities,executive directors for non-profits and the highly acclaimed Hugh McColl, the chamber trip was well supported.

In my 18 years living in Charlotte, it has always been a community filled with people who have "can-do" attitudes through thick and thin. It was great to see that first hand from the highest levels of Charlotte area professionals and it makes me proud to be an active member of our community.

We listened and learned about how Seattle tackles everything from economic development, homelessness,  education and transpiration. We toured Microsoft, a clean energy incubator, and the group was able to engage in a panel discussion with executives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. On the fun side of the trip, we took a duck tour of the city by land any by water, we had dinner and a reception at a local museum of modern art and we did a dinner cruise.

The reason I was able to attend to represent our Charlotte Destination Group business on the trip this year is because they always seem to plan it the week leading up to our big race at Infineon Speedway in Sonoma, California. When the program concluded and already being on the west coast, I was able to fly on over to San Fran and head up to Napa for the weekend where we entertained several hundred DuPont customers,  visited some of my wine-maker friends and of coures, ate some of the most amazing food! I would love to retire out there someday.

I came home to Charlotte for two days and then my husband and I flew to Michigan to visit some friends for July 4th weekend. We camped with them up in the Silver Lake area and they took us -- in their Jeep -- to the Sand Dunes. If you've never experienced serious Sand Dunes, I highly recommend giving it try sometime. From what I understand, Greg Biffle likes to play on Dunes as he is from that neck of the woods. Climbing those moutainous sand hills and watching the sand drags was an absolute blast!

Well the July heat  but my next scheduled trip will be Indy. Can't wait for that one because my Mom lives there and we get to spend some time together. Will probably also go to Jeff Gordon's annual bowling tournament while there and will be pulling for him to make it win No. 5 at the Brickyard 400!

Stay cool and write me anytime.

Reflections of May on and off the track...

Well, the month of May is over and for those in the motorsports industry, May is a significant month.

And that's not only for those attempting to qualify for and win the Indy 500, or the NASCAR All Star Race and the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. There are also short track drivers around the country whose weather dictates that the first race of the season is in May.

That's certainly true for my Supermodified friends at Oswego (NY) Speedway. With new owners and renewed hope for a track that was once highly successful under the management of mother in the 80's, the run-down track is getting a face lift and maybe some new enthusiasm among drivers and fans to go along with it. I wish the Torrese brothers all the luck in the world at the place I know they love -- as do I.

Racing for me in May starts with Dover. Our client DuPont is headquartered in nearby Wilmington, DE. We travel there on Wednesday before the race, have Jeff Gordon at DuPont headquarters for a very long day on Thursday, then on to the track for the remainder of the weekend culminating with hospitality on Sunday morning. I've been working with Jeff for nearly 17 years now and after "NASCAR Day at DuPont" I am always amazed at how good he is both on and off the track ---a true professional in every sense of the word.

But beyond race tracks and race drivers, there is a new class of fresh faces that kicked of their summer internships with NASCAR's Driver for Diversity program in May. I had the honor of being invited back for the second consecutive year to speak to this group.

I covered the ususal topics about PR and professionalism, encouring networking and volunteering and the like. However, this group was so enthusiastic and not only asked a lot of questions, they asked a lot of the right qusetions. I have heard back from several of them thanking me for my time and sharing my insight.

There are many talented up-and-coming drivers that will one day take the place of the veteran drivers and be the public face of the sport. But these young men and women are the ones who will take my place and be the future of the business side of motorsports. After seeing this particular group, I am encouranged that our sport's future is in good hands.

I hope everybody had a successful and safe May, and I wish you all the best in June!

My first Blog

Please accept a warm, "hey there" with a smile from the desk of Kymberly Brantigan!

This is my first ever blog and as I love to write, I am very excited to have this outlet. However, like most whose lives are super busy, I worry about being able to keep it updated.

But what I have decided, is that keeping it relevant, interesting and fun is more important than just adding posts for the sake of having something posted. I look to inspire thought, start conversation, or just make you laugh.

I will discuss professional life as it pertains to Performance PR Plus (PPR+) and The Charlotte Destination Group (CDG) as I am partner and president of both organizations. PPR+ is a motorsports marketing, event and public relations agency best known as the biggest corporate entertainer in NASCAR and for managing all of Jeff Gordon's PR for nearly two-decades.

CDG grew out of Performance PR Plus and we manage corporate meetings and events, and provide conceierge level service in the greater Charlotte, NC area. As the city of Charlotte grew up around our uptown location since 1994, we thought we would offer companies in Charlotte, or who do business in Charlotte, the same high-level services that we offer our corporate clients in race markets around the country.

Both are award-winning organizations and that's because we are proudly staffed with true professionals who care as much about the integrity of the work as they do about getting it right and exceeding the expectations of our clients.

I'll try to keep blogs brief (too late for that on this one, I know). I've attached a short video of me that the North Carolina Motorsports Association posted in January, 2011, which will give you a litte insight into my background and that of PPR+.

And no, I'm not Italian -- which it would seem with the way I continually talk with my hands in this video. Somebody please -- tie my hands down! For the record, with a maiden name of O'Brien, I'm a good ol' Irish girl.


Keep in touch as I always welcome questions, comments and cheap shots!